Different? Not Good Enough?
Nancy Hatcher, Volunteer Writer, South Barrington | June 10, 2024
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
I hear the shrillness in my mom’s voice, “Nancy, this is the fifth day this week that you can’t find your glasses. You’re making us all late for…”
You name the place we were off to; I, the lateness culprit, was forever searching for those blue-rimmed glasses that became brown cat-eye glasses and eventually wire-rims.
I forever hid them because I hated the things that made me different, not good enough, and ugly. I was only three when I began telling myself a big fat whopper of a lie, “I’m less than everyone around me.” Back then, I had never heard of the word “stronghold.” A synonym of stronghold is “sin,” a sin that is hard to give up.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul tells the church about divine weapons we can use to destroy the strongholds of sin in our lives. My sin discourages me. Fear that I am not enough and fear that people won’t love me if I disagree with them stops me from living the life that God desires for me to live in Christ.
God doesn’t want me bound in self-loathing cycles. He wants me to experience exuberant freedom.
But how is this accomplished?
One of my Bible Study teachers says, “Stay current with God.” What does she mean by this? It means that before the lights go out on my day, I’m making it my practice to review the day’s events with Jesus. I ask Him to show me where I have made Him sad. As I grow in Christ, He often shows me where I have been wrong in the flow of my day. Being wrong leads me to apologize to God and people for my behavior.
God also has directed us to fill our minds with what is “pure and lovely” (Philippians 4:8 ). Sometimes that is hard because the sun isn’t always shining, and yet, the Holy Spirit wants me to hear, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made—Nancy, you are made in my image; I sent my Son to die for your sin so you can experience eternal life today and forever. That’s how much I love you.”
Next Steps